BACKWARD GLANCES — Spectators create unseen troubles for firefighters

See what was happening in Redwood Falls 50, 25, and 10 years ago this week.

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By Joshua Dixon, Staff Writer

Redwood Falls Gazette

By Joshua Dixon, Staff Writer

Posted May. 23, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By Joshua Dixon, Staff Writer
Posted May. 23, 2014 at 12:01 AM

1964—50 years ago • When a small barn and granary caught fire and burned down on the Juenemann farm east of Redwood Falls one afternoon, so many spectators hopped into their cars to watch that fire department vehicles had to use their headlights to see through all the clouds of dust over the gravel road. • Redwood Falls High School graduated its 79th — and largest to that time — class, with 124 members crossing the stage to collect diplomas. • When a mother robin made a nest for her eggs on a street department sprinkler truck, she and the baby robins got a daily ride around the city for several weeks as crews wetted the streets to keep dust down. • New weather gauges were installed at the Redwood Falls airport to measure wind direction and speed, and dew point. The readings were transmitted electronically to the control tower so crews wouldn’t have to walk out to the furthest corner of the airport during the winter. • The 1963-64 school year was one of the most successful in the school’s athletic history, with Southwest Conference titles in football, baseball, and golf, and district championships in wrestling, tennis, and track. 1989—25 years ago • Area anger over the disputed election process for a new high school showed itself when local voters replaced two school board members who had voted in favor of a new school with two prominent opponents of building it. • In other school news, the architect for the new high school announced that costs would be approximately $750,000 higher than originally announced. • Redwood Falls was one of three starting points in Minnesota for the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. Local officers started at the ACMC clinic, taking turns running the torch to New Ulm, and from there to Duluth. • Troy Krause was elected reporter for the Redwood Falls-Morton High School FFA chapter. • Summer unofficially began when city workers turned the crank to began the 24-hour process of filling the swimming pool with 350,000 gallons of water. 2004—10 years ago • The Department of Veterans Affairs announced its decision to create a new VA clinic in Redwood Falls, to open no later than 2012. • The Public Utilities department had to increase the amount of live bacteria added to the city water treatment plant because residents’ use of antibacterial soap was killing off the good bacteria needed to help waste decompose. • After dealing a few times too often with parents dropping their kids off at the swimming pool without noticing it was closed that day, pool staff started a new system of using colored flags to indicate whether the pool was open or not. • One of Max Prinzing’s $89,000 custom-built luxury sedans, handmade at Prinzing’s Redwood Falls facility, was returned by its owner because it was not street-legal in Europe due to the design of its doors. The one-of-a-kind sedan quickly sold to a car collector in Massachusetts, where it was legal to drive. • E-85 fuel was finally available in Redwood Falls, freeing drivers from having to travel at least 20 miles to the closest store that sold it.